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Finding-Aid for the J. Edgar Simmons Collection

MUM00612

Summary Information

Repository
University of Mississippi Libraries
Title
J. Edgar Simmons Collection
ID
MUM00612
Date [bulk]
Bulk, 1950-1980
Extent
2.5 Linear feet, 9 boxes
Abstract
Collection consists of typescripts, published works, and journals of J. Edgar Simmons, Jr., a Mississippi-born poet and writer.

Preferred Citation

J. Edgar Simmons Collection (MUM00612). The Department of Archives and Special Collections, J.D. Williams Library, The University of Mississippi.

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Biographical Note

J. (Joseph) Edgar Simmons, Jr. was a widely published poet, writer, and university lecturer. He was born on May 28, 1921, in Natchez, Mississippi. His family ran the Simmons Brothers Grocery in Natchez until the Great Depression forced its closure. Growing up, Simmons had a stutter, which he worked to overcome by recording himself reading poetry aloud. In addition to a love of poetry, Simmons developed a love of music. Many of the men in the family performed locally, and Simmons eventually learned to play the drums. After graduating from high school in 1939, he attended Copiah-Lincoln Junior College for two years, where he played drums in the marching band and college band. He also worked as an editor for the yearbook.

After graduation, Simmons played drums for the Air Force Band while stationed at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi. In 1942, an emergency expansion of the Air Force in the wake of World War II forced many soldiers into an intensive basic training regimen at Lubbock Army Airfield in Lubbock, Texas. There, Simmons suffered a severe nervous breakdown, an experience that later informed his autobiographical long poem, Osiris at the Roller Derby (1983). The breakdown led to hospitalization and, later, an honorable discharge.

He returned to Natchez, and, after a full recovery, married Sherlyn Marshburn in 1945. The couple moved to New York City, where Simmons enrolled at Columbia University. He completed a BA in 1947 and an MA in English in 1948. Hyper-focused on work, his relationship with Sherlyn became unsatisfying, and she eventually found someone new. Simmons turned to alcohol to numb his despair. In the fall of 1947, his family sent his brother-in-law to check on him in New York, a visit which ended in his admission to an asylum upstate. Simmons received insulin shock therapy, and after his recovery, he returned to Sherlyn to try to repair their marriage.

After his graduation, the two moved in with Sherlyn’s parents in Raleigh, North Carolina, while Simmons looked for a teaching position. He accepted an offer at DePauw University, in Greencastle, Indiana. He and Sherlyn remained in Greencastle until the fall of 1950. While there, Simmons met one of his idols, poet Dylan Thomas, at a public reading. This reading would prove fateful in that it also sparked a lifelong mentorship and friendship between Simmons and John Crowe Ransom, poet and critic, who was a visiting lecturer at the University of Indiana at the time. Even so, Simmons suffered another nervous breakdown in 1950. From the end of 1950-1953, it is unclear how Simmons spent his time, though his daughter speculates that he returned to Mississippi to live with his parents and later his sister. At some point during this period, he and Sherlyn divorced.

Soon after, Calvin Kiralfy, a friend from his Keesler Air Force Base days, invited Simmons to visit him in England, where he was performing with the Mam’zelle Company, a group that toured England and the rest of Europe with a cast of actors and dancers. Simmons traveled with the group, and eventually met his future wife, Kathleen (Kay) Floyd Campbell, whose own marriage at the time may have been a marriage of convenience to her dance partner, Richard Campbell. Kay had been performing since her childhood, when her work as a dancer and acrobat supported her family. She had appeared in nearly every theater in eight European countries, danced in several films, and performed in the Bertram Mills circus in London. She even performed before chancellor Adolf Hitler. Later, while performing in Holland, Kay was forced to run for her life through the streets as Nazis dropped both parachuting soldiers and bombs on the area.

In 1953, when Kay and her husband had separated, Simmons moved with her to her home in County Kent, shared with her sister Joan’s family. From there, they traveled to many places in England and Scotland, and eventually visited Paris. He and Kay both found Paris refreshing, and Simmons decided to enroll at the Sorbonne, careful to take courses that would transfer back to the US. The couple remained in Paris for two months, until January 17, 1954. Within a few days of their return to County Kent, Simmons had written to the editor of the New Orleans Times Picayune, inquiring about a job writing articles on his experiences in Europe. The editor responded favorably, and thus began Simmons’s writings as “A Mississippian in England.” While working on these articles, Simmons also found that writing short stories came easily in his newfound state of happiness, and within less than three months of writing to the editor of the Times-Picayune, he had also written and submitted nine short stories to various top-tier publications.

In April of 1954, Simmons’s 6-month British visa was due to expire, so he and Kay traveled to Ireland. From there, Simmons reached out to features editor Rex MacGall at the Irish Press, and began publishing articles on being a Mississippian in Ireland to great success, even receiving fan mail. However, during this period, Simmons broke his hip, which resulted in several weeks in bed. At the same time, Kay was pregnant with their first child—the combination of stresses caused Simmons another nervous breakdown and hospitalization. Three months later, Simmons left the hospital, and Kay met him with their one-month-old son, Joseph Edgar Simmons III (now daughter Jes after sex-confirmation surgery in 1997).The family returned to England, and once Kay’s first husband signed the divorce papers in February of 1955, Simmons, then 33, and Kay, then 38, were free to marry on March 28, 1955. In July, they moved to America, staying with his parents in Natchez before moving to Williamsburg, Virginia, where Simmons taught at The College of William and Mary for two years. In summer of 1956, they moved to New Orleans, where Simmons wrote for the Times-Picayune, and a second son—Edward (Eddy) Floyd Simmons—was born. The stress of the job led to another nervous breakdown.

After his recovery, the family returned to Williamsburg, and Simmons’s first book, Pocahontas and Other Poems, was published. However, after Simmons’s father passed away in the spring of 1959, the family returned to Natchez, and Simmons worked as a features writer for the Natchez Times. While living in Natchez, Simmons was offered a PhD fellowship at the University of Iowa; he turned the offer down, and later noted that he regretted the decision. In 1962, with a recommendation from John Crowe Ransom, Simmons became a lecturer in English at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. The next year, he returned to his home state to teach at Mississippi College.

There, Simmons taught English and creative writing, in addition to serving as faculty advisor for The Arrowhead. Among his students were writers Barry Hannah and Jack Butler. In 1964, he received the Bellaman Literary Award for Poetry. While shopping around a manuscript and many poems with editors, he looked for another position at a bigger university, and found one in 1966 at the University of Texas at El Paso as the Director of Creative Writing. There, he became faculty advisor for another literary magazine, Goodbye Dove, and worked on a textbook entitled The New American Composition.

In 1968, his second book, Driving to Biloxi, was published with LSU Press, earning him a place among the finalists for the National Book Award in Poetry. From 1968-1970, the Vietnam War impacted local life through protests and the constant deployment of soldiers from the nearby Fort Bliss base—these experiences triggered another nervous breakdown. In 1970, the family moved to Jackson, Mississippi. The nervous breakdowns that had started during his time in boot camp had led to the Department of Veterans Affairs declaring Simmons a 100% disabled veteran, and the family lived on the income provided to him by the V.A. In 1971, Simmons was diagnosed with undifferentiated schizophrenia, and in 1976, Kay passed away. Three years later, his mother—who had been very close with the family—also passed, and by the end of the year, Simmons’s health had so declined that he was hospitalized in the Biloxi V.A. Medical Center for long-term care. On November 26, 1979, Simmons died, and his remains were laid to rest by Kay’s in the Midway Cemetery in Meadville, Mississippi.

In 1983, a final book, Osiris at the Roller Derby—an autobiographical verse poem—was published posthumously, with an introduction from Simmons’s long-time friend and mentor, James Dickey. The same year, Simmons was inducted into the Literary Hall of Fame at Copiah-Lincoln Community College. His sister Dorothy and her husband had a scholarship endowed in his and Kay’s names at the college. On June 13, 1987, former students returned to Mississippi College to remember their former teacher.

Reference: This biographical note relied on the facts within “Come Tame to Warm Home”: Mississippi Poet J. Edgar Simmons, a literary biography written by Dr. Jes Simmons, donated in 2021.

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Format

Typescripts, newspapers (periodicals), literary journals (periodicals), notes, scrapbooks, magnetic tape

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Scope and Content

Collection consists of typescripts, published works, and journals of J. Edgar Simmons, Jr., a Mississippi-born poet and writer.

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Arrangement

No original order: materials have been arranged by genre. Sub-series and items have been arranged alphabetically by title.

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Administrative Information

Publication Information

University of Mississippi Libraries 2005

Access Restrictions

Open for research. Fragile materials have been removed from the collection and photocopies have been provided in their place. Private student information such as grades have been redacted.

Use Restriction

The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use", that user may be liable for copyright infringement.

Source of Collection

Dr. Jes Simmons, daughter of J. Edgar Simmons, Jr., donated the collection in 2006.

Processing Information

Processed by University of Mississippi Department of Archives and Special Collections staff member Karlie Herndon, fall 2021.

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Related Materials

Related Materials at the University of Mississippi

Barry Hannah Collection (MUM00216)

Separated Materials

Photographs have been separated from the main collection for storage.

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Controlled Access Headings

Format(s)

  • Poetry

Subject(s)

  • Authors, American -- Mississippi
  • University of Mississippi -- History

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Collection Inventory

Series I: Poetry Collections 

Sub-Series 1: 1, 2, 3, Hamlet Jones 

1.1 “1, Hamlet” – spiral-bound typescript. 05/31/65.   Date indicates revision date. First section of a book of poems..

1.2 “2, Jones” – spiral-bound typescript. Undated.   Second section of a book of poems.

1.3 “3, Hamlet” – spiral-bound typescript. Undated.   Third section of a book of poems.

1.4 “A Note about 1, 2, 3, Hamlet Jones” (synopsis of book of poetry) – typescript. Undated.   Introduction or explanation of the book’s contents.

1.5 “A Note about 1, 2, 3, Hamlet Jones” – synopsis and selected poems – spiral-bound typescript. 05/31/65.   Date indicates revision date. Introduction or explanation of the book’s contents; copies of poems from the book.

Sub-Series 2: Child at the Riverbed (An Odyssey of Metaphor) 

1.6 Metaphors 1-37, typescript. Undated. 

1.7 “(The final section) (poems 101-160” – typescript. Undated. 

1.8 “Last section, metaphors 161-221” – spiral-bound typescript. Undated. 

Sub-Series 3: On Toward This Feathered Fiction Girl 

1.9 “Original version (edited)” – handwritten notes and typescript. Undated. 

Sub-Series 4: Once Upon a Train 

1.10 “Original version (edited)” – handwritten notes and typescript. Undated. 

Sub-Series 5: Osiris at the Roller Derby 

1.11 Section summaries – typescript. Undated. 

Sub-Series 6: Pocahontas and Other Poems 

1.12 Publisher’s proofs. Undated. 

Sub-Series 7: The Traveler and the Country Girl  

1.13 Devins Memorial Award Entry - typescript of collected poems. Undated. 

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Series II: Uncollected Poems 

1.14 Clinton, Mississippi poem drafts - typescripts. Undated. 

1.15 Drafts of “Anima” / “Anima in Dark” (poems) – typescripts; unidentified typescript. Undated. 

1.16 “A Low Cooing from the Dark” (poem) - typescript. Undated. 

1.17 “Muzz and the Stuttered Corpses” (poem) - typescript. Undated. 

1.18 “Once Upon a Train” (poem), in Antioch Review. Summer 1968. 

1.19 “Personal Appearance” and “The Backsliders” (poems) – typescripts. Undated. 

1.20 “To the Roll of the Drums” (prose poem) – typescript. Undated. 

1.21 “To the Roll of the Drums: a prose-poem documentary about America” – typescript. Undated. 

1.22 “To the Roll of the Drums: a prose-poem documentary celebrating the 200th anniversary of America” – typescript. Undated. 

1.23 Uncollected poems and partial prose pieces. Undated. 

1.24 “War Poem by a Man from Olney (metaphor 190)” (poem) - typescript. Undated. 

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Series III: Novels 

Sub-Series 1: Dreams: Stoney, Bloon, and the Tensas 

1.25 Chapter 2-5 – typescript. Undated. 

Sub-Series 2: Ernest Applewhite 

1.26 Pages 1-14 - typescript. Undated.   First page reads “second carbon copy."

Sub-Series 3: Kathy 

1.27 Chapter I: Toffees Among Stones – typescript. Undated. 

1.28 Chapter II: Rehearsal in Strong Light – typescript (copy 1). Undated. 

1.29 Chapter II: Rehearsal in Strong Light – typescript (copy 2). Undated. 

1.30 Chapter III: The Blondes – typescript. Undated. 

1.31 Chapter IV: A Night on Unthank Road – typescript. Undated. 

1.32 Chapter V: Victor – typescript. Undated. 

1.33 Chapter VI: The Circus – typescript. Undated. 

Series IV: Short Fiction 

1.34 “At the Yale Club” cover page; “Dad’s short stories” – list of short stories written by Simmons. Undated.   Includes list of short stories provided on an envelope containing copies of the listed short stories, mailed to Special Collections by Jes Simmons.

1.35 “At the Yale Club” (short story) – typescript. Undated. 

1.36 “Being a True Account of a Drowning” (short story) – typescript and photocopy. Undated. 

1.37 “C-A-T” (short story) – typescript. Undated. 

1.38 “The Circus Grounds” (short story) – typescript (copy 1). Undated. 

1.39 “The Circus Grounds” (short story) – typescript (copy 2). Undated. 

1.40 “Drunk as the Lord (A Fast Funny Case of the DTs)” (short story) – typescript. Undated. 

1.41 “A Fast Funny Case of DTs” (short story) – typescript. Undated. 

1.42 “An Irish Romance” (short story) – typescript. Undated. 

1.43 “King Pole” (short story) – typescript. Undated. 

1.44 “Lords and Ladies of Reality” (short story) – rough draft – typescript. Undated. 

1.45 “Lords and Ladies of Reality” (short story) – later draft – typescript. Undated. 

1.46 “Lords and Ladies of Reality (revised)” (short story) – typescript. Undated. 

1.47 “Mary Maiden Dancing Her Eyes Half Closed” (short story) – typescript. Undated. 

1.48 “The Naked King Pole, or, The Vertebrate Man” (short story) – typescript. Undated. 

1.49 “A Night on Unthank Road” (short story) – typescript. Undated. 

1.50 “Once You Have Introduced Mary” (short story) - typescript. Undated. 

1.51 “The Reincarnation of Gretchen” (short story) – typescript. Undated. 

1.52 “Rosemary, Sweet Rosemary” (short story) – typescript. Undated. 

1.53 “Rosemary, Sweet Rosemary (A Christmas Story)” (short story) – typescript. Undated. 

1.54 “Santa’s Secret” (short story) – typescript. Undated. 

1.55 “Salesman and Son” (short story) – typescript (copy 1). Undated. 

1.56 “Salesman and Son” (short story) – typescript (copy 2). Undated. 

1.57 “The Shakespeare Country” (2 pages) – typescript; handwritten notes. Undated. 

1.58 “Silone, or, The Golden Plaice” (short story) – typescript. Undated. 

1.59 “A Son for the Carpenter” (short story) - typescript. Undated. 

1.60 “So Healthy in the Country” (short story) – typescript. Undated. 

1.61 “The Stoney Bloon Story” (short story) – typescript. Undated. 

1.62 “The String Bean Boy” (short story) – typescript. Undated. 

1.63 “The Vertebrate Man” (short story) – typescript. Undated. 

1.64 Unidentified insert – 2 pages – typescript. Undated. 

1.65 Untitled short piece – missing page 1 - typescript. Undated. 

1.66 [Visit the Living] (short story) – typescript. Undated. 

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Series V: Nonfiction 

1.67 “A Detailed Account of His Career as a Writer” – typescript. Undated. 

1.68 “The Green Key: The Dream of Mimesis as Mutation” (essay) – typescript. Undated. 

1.69 “The Green Key: The Dream of Mimesis as Mutation” (essay) – with epilogue – typescript. Undated. 

1.70 “The Irish Bog” (nonfiction short story) – typescript. Undated. 

1.71 A Mississippian in England (memoir – incomplete) – typescript. Undated. 

1.72 “Motivation as Moral Eroticism: An Essay on Refinement” – typescript. Undated. 

1.73 “Toffees Among Stones (nonfiction short story) - typescript. Undated.   Typescript; story about Kay’s life.

1.74 Untitled story about William Faulkner - typescript. Undated.   A story told in first-person and set in New York City. The truth of the events is unknown.

1.75 Untitled story about William Faulkner – typescript (copy 2). Undated.   A story told in first-person and set in New York City. The truth of the events is unknown.

1.76 “The Way of Nature: The Way of Man” (nonfiction short story) – typescript. Undated. 

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Series VI: Course Materials 

2.1 “Advanced Grammar – Notes on Form” – course packet. Summer 1965.   Typewritten pages with handwritten notes.

2.2 “The Beatles” lecture with song lyrics – typescript. Undated.   Typewritten pages with typed lyrics for “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” taped to the first page.

2.3 “Cat in the Rain” (chapter – course textbook) – typescript. Undated.   Typewritten pages with handwritten note: “(Hemingway’s “Cat in the Rain” is the basis of this chapter).”

2.4 Class lecture on “Ode to a Grecian Urn” – typescript. Undated.   Class lecture on John Keats’s poem, “Ode to a Grecian Urn.”

2.5 English 3102 – untitled course lecture – September 26, 1967 – typescript. 09/26/1967.   Lecture script for an English composition course, covering topics such as human instinct, symbols, and change.

2.6 “Faust and the Restoration of Feeling” (class lecture) – typescript (copy 1). Undated.   Lecture on the tragedy of Faust by Goethe.

2.7 “Faust and the Restoration of Feeling” (class lecture) – typescript (copy 2). Undated.   Lecture on the tragedy of Faust by Goethe, with handwritten note: “FAUST complete carbon: may be OK w/out their reading FAUST.”

2.8 “The Garden Party” (possible course textbook chapter) – typescript. Undated.   Typewritten pages with handwritten note above title: “The Katherine Mansfield story precedes this chapter.”

2.9 “Lecture 1” – typescript. Undated.   Course lecture on the concepts of beauty and difficulty, or working for what is worthwhile.

2.10 “Lecture 2: Style, Skill, and Ceremony” – typescript. Undated.   Course lecture on tackling problems one step at a time, building integrity, etc.

2.11 “Lecture 3” – typescript. Undated.   Course lecture on “unity in variety,” realism, harmony, etc.

2.12 “Lecture 3 – The Task” – typescript. Undated.   Course lecture on authenticity (copy of “Lecture 1”).

2.13 “Lecture 4” – typescript.   Course lecture on “unity in variety” (copy of “Lecture 3”).

2.14 “Lecture 5” – typescript. Undated.   Course lecture on Eudora Welty’s “Powerhouse.”

2.15 “Lecture 6” – typescript (copy 1). Undated.   Course lecture on “the art of making and breaking.”

2.16 “Lecture 6” – typescript (copy 2). Undated.   Course lecture on “the art of making and breaking.”

2.17 “Lecture 7” – typescript. Undated.   Course lecture on “what technique to use to become a real person, a real being, to get the most out of life, in short.”

2.18 “Lecture 8 The Beatles” – typescript. Undated.   Course lecture on The Beatles: similar to “The Beatles” lecture with song lyrics, except song lyrics have not been included in this draft.

2.19 “Lecture 9” – typescript.   Course lecture on Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” and John Donne’s “The Ecstasy.”

2.20 “Lecture 13” – typescript. Undated.   Course lecture on forms of expression (beyond grammar or language).

2.21 Lecture on “Emerson’s Self-Reliance” (CRN 815) – typescript. Undated.   Course lecture on Ralph Waldo Emerson’s 1841 essay, “Self-Reliance.”

2.22 “Lecture on The [sic] Simple Heart” – typescript.   Course lecture on Gustave Flaubert’s “A Simple Heart.”

2.23 “Lecture on There Is No Such Thing as a Dress” – typescript.” Undated.   Personal essay on symbolism, beauty, and femininity.

2.24 “New Creative Writing Textbook – Edgar Simmons” binder contents (1 of 4). Undated.   Contents of a 3-ring binder in which Simmons prepared a manuscript for a textbook, possibly entitled The Creative Dialogue: Aesthetics and Psychology in Creative Writing.

2.25 “New Creative Writing Textbook – Edgar Simmons” binder contents (2 of 4). Undated.   Contents of a 3-ring binder in which Simmons prepared a manuscript for a textbook, possibly entitled The Creative Dialogue: Aesthetics and Psychology in Creative Writing.

2.26 “New Creative Writing Textbook – Edgar Simmons” binder contents (3 of 4). Undated.   Contents of a 3-ring binder in which Simmons prepared a manuscript for a textbook, possibly entitled The Creative Dialogue: Aesthetics and Psychology in Creative Writing.

2.27 “New Creative Writing Textbook – Edgar Simmons” binder contents (4 of 4). Undated.   Contents of a 3-ring binder in which Simmons prepared a manuscript for a textbook, possibly entitled The Creative Dialogue: Aesthetics and Psychology in Creative Writing.

2.28 “Special Occasions” – student writings – typescript. Undated. Circa 1967.   Student reflections on what they gained from English 3214.

2.29 “Structures of Authenticity” – lecture - typescript. Undated. 

2.30 Structures of Authenticity, “A Proposed Appendix” – typescript. Undated.   A note from the cover page: “consisting of written talks given by students over the past six years, talks which seek to give the principal ideas of the course and applications of those ideas in everyday living.”

2.31 Student papers on “How the course affected my everyday life” – photocopies. Undated. 

2.32 “Style, Skill and Ceremony (Spring ’70 Chapter II)” – typescript. Undated. 

2.33 “The Talks” – proposed appendix contents – typescript. Undated.   Proposed appendix for a textbook: the “talks” are student lectures given to demonstrate their comprehension and appreciation of the course.

2.34 Unidentified lecture page – typescript. Undated. 

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Series VII: Journals 

2.35 Legal pad journal, Vol. I. January 24 - February 2, 1966.   Handwritten journal created by J. Edgar Simmons. Note from the first page: “Decided to keep a journal rather than the hundreds of folded used paper that I throw away.”

2.36 Legal pad journal, Vol. II. February 2-8, 1966.   Handwritten journal created by J. Edgar Simmons.

2.37 Legal pad journal, [no volume]. February 8-17, 1966.   Handwritten journal created by J. Edgar Simmons.

2.38 Legal pad journal, Vol. IV (3 pages). February 18, 1966.   Handwritten journal created by J. Edgar Simmons.

2.39 Legal pad journal, [no volume]. February 18-26, 1966.   Handwritten journal created by J. Edgar Simmons.

2.40 Legal pad journal, Vol. V. February 26-March 10, 1966.   Handwritten journal created by J. Edgar Simmons.

2.41 Legal pad journal, Vol. 7 [sic]. March 22-April 14, 1966.   Handwritten journal created by J. Edgar Simmons.

2.42 Legal pad journal, Vol. 8 [sic]. April 17-May 5, 1966.   Handwritten journal created by J. Edgar Simmons.

2.43 Legal pad journal, [no volume]. July 15-August 6, 1966.   Handwritten journal created by J. Edgar Simmons.

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Series VIII: Newspaper Publications (poems, articles, reviews, and biographical items) 

2.44 3-Ring Binder Contents (1 of 6). Undated.   “Irish Press Prose Pieces, Miscellaneous Articles and Reviews: A Bibliography.” This list was included in the front pocket of a 3-ring binder of clippings (all labeled and encased in plastic sleeves).

2.45 3-Ring Binder Contents (2 of 6). 1960-1964.   Binder contents including published poems and prose pieces by Simmons.

2.46 3-Ring Binder Contents (3 of 6). 1954-1968.   Binder contents including published poems and prose pieces by Simmons.

2.47 3-Ring Binder Contents (4 of 6). 1954-1963; undated.   Binder contents including published poems and prose pieces by Simmons.

2.48 3-Ring Binder Contents (5 of 6). 1964-1969; undated.   Binder contents including published poems and prose pieces by Simmons.

2.49 3-Ring Binder Contents (6 of 6) – Letters from Readers. Circa 1954.   Contents of packet labeled “letters from readers” that was inserted in the binder. The packet was shipped from The Irish Press offices in Ireland, and letters are from readers in Ireland.

2.50 Christian Science Monitor – Poems. 11/09/1962-11/06/1964.   Collected published items that appeared in the Christian Science Monitor. Poems include “Main Fact About a Hill” and “Impressions.”

2.51 Driving to Biloxi - Reviews. 10/20/1968-12/12/1969; undated.   Reviews clipped from El Paso Times, the Jackson, Mississippi Clarion-Ledger, the Louisiana State-Times, The Dixie Guide, the Mississippi Franklin Advocate, The Prospector, and the San Antonio, Tex. Express.

2.52 Irish Press – newspaper clippings/articles. 1954; undated.   Collected photocopies of articles Simmons wrote during his time in Ireland.

2.53 The Kansas City Times – Poems. 11/11/1963-04/19/1965.   Collected published poems that appeared in The Kansas City Times. Poems include “Address to a Cannon,” “Simple Heroes Face a Simple Truth,” and Church in Blue and White.”

2.54 Louisiana Book Shelf – Review of  Driving to Biloxi. 11/02/1968.   4 photocopies of a review of Driving to Biloxi, reviewed in a column of The Crowley Daily Signal, Crowley, Louisiana. Reviewed by Dr. Irving Ward-Steinman.

2.55 Mississippi College – newspaper clippings and ephemera. 11/24/1963-11/02/1968; March 1987; undated.   Collected items related to Simmons’s time at Mississippi College. Includes a review of Driving to Biloxi, and photocopy of a photograph of Simmons talking to John Crowe Ransom, an award letter for a $500 award from the Henry H. Bellamann Foundation, articles about Simmons’s work as a professor, and the March 1987 issue of The Beacon, a newsletter of the college.

3.1 “Natchez, etc.” – newspaper clippings. 1938-1968; undated.   Collected items related to Natchez, Mississippi. Includes articles from The Times-Picayune, many without bylines. Simmons appears to have collected his own writing as well as many headlines for articles he did not write. Photocopies of clippings in the folder often combine clippings in order to maintain of the original order to some extent, though no clear organizational pattern appears in this collection of clippings.

3.2 New York Herald Tribune – Poems. 04/05/1962-01/02/1966; undated.   Collected published poems that appeared in the New York Herald Tribune. Poems include “York River Island,” “Note to Walt Whitman,” “Love by the Sea,” “The Roots That Blanch” (with a handwritten note that marks this “my first published poem!!”, though the previously listed poems were published prior to this one – it is unclear if Simmons made a mistake, or if this poem was first published elsewhere), “The Philosopher,” “The Magnetic Field,” “Sons of Sad Dreams,” “Taking the Ocean in Hand,” “The Art of Brother Keeping,” “Music for an Aging Orphan,” “Poet as Pantheist,” “The Charming Mean,” “To Celebrate Rust,” and “Monologue of a Dead Myrtle.”

3.3 New York Times – Poems. 07/03/1960-03/29/1965.   Collected published poems that appeared in the New York Times. Poems include “Pocahontas” (with handwritten note: “For Mother, the dearest, sweetest person in the world, from her son Edgar Jr.”), “There Will Be No Peace,” “Love’s Failure,” “Tinklings,” “Survival,” “Western Flicker,” and “Mountain Man” (one copy includes a handwritten note: “I appear nearly once every six weeks in N Y Times; twice a month in Herald Trib”).

3.4 Reviews, news clippings (uncategorized). 1962-1970; undated.   Photocopies of reviews written by Simmons; news clippings about Simmons.

3.5 St. Louis Post Dispatch – Poems and Reviews. 12/02/1962-11/29/1964.   Collected published poems and book reviews that appeared in the St. Louis Post Dispatch. Simmons reviewed Best Short Stories of 1962 (with handwritten note: “later quoted on Book Jacket of Best S of 1963”), Image of Tallie by Elick Moll, and If Morning Ever Comes by Anne Tyler. Includes copies of poem “Address to a Cannon.”

3.6 University of Texas at El Paso – news, event programs. 1964-03/23/1979; undated.   Includes poem entitled “The Poet,” articles on Simmons as a teacher, articles on Simmons’s selection for awards and talks he gave in the area, and three letters from Roy Ballou, a friend from his time at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi (circa 1967-8).

3.7 Uncategorized news clippings. 1954-1964; undated.   Photocopies of clippings of Simmons’s work (both poetry and prose). Includes copies of much of his work for The Irish Press. Includes articles published posthumously on Simmons and the scholarship created in his and Kay’s name. Includes the article “I Loved Those Darkies,” an article on interracial friendship in the Deep South of the US, which was apparently titled by an Irish editor rather than by Simmons himself (according to Jes Simmons’s biography of her father).

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Series IX: Literary Journals belonging to J. Edgar Simmons and daughter Jes Simmons (many contain work by father or daughter) 

3.8 American Weave, Volume XXVI, Number 4. Autumn/Winter 1963.   “A Southerner’s Lament for Lincoln,” a poem by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on pages 8-9.

3.9 The Antioch Review. Summer ’68; Fall ’68.   “Once Upon a Train,” a poem by Edgar Simmons, appears on page 186 of Summer ’68; “Music from a Southern Town,” a poem by Edgar Simmons, appears on page 275 of Fall ’68.

3.10 Arrowhead. Fall 1963.   Simmons began his role of Faculty Consultant with this issue, and the student editors included the poem “Metaphor 5: the Umbilical Infinite” from his book, Child of the River-bed, on page 15.

3.11 Arrowhead, Contest Issue. Spring 1964.   Simmons served as Faculty Consultant on this issue.

3.12 Arrowhead. Spring 1966.   Simmons served as Faculty Consultant on this issue; “Sightings from a Crib,” a poem by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on page 1.

3.13 Arrowhead. Winter 1966.   Simmons served as Faculty Consultant on this issue; “Varsity Rag” and “Snake,” poems by J. Edgar Simmons, appear on pages 11-12 under the heading “Arrowhead Guest Poet.”

3.14 Arrowhead. Autumn/Winter 1976; Spring 1979.   Each issue contains poetry from Jes Simmons. Autumn/Winter 1976: “Morning,” by Jes Simmons, appears on the first page. Spring 1979: “Midnight Blues,” “Je M’Acuse,” “Relic,” and “Hitchin’,” by Jes Simmons, appear on pages 3-4, 7-8, 10, and 11-12.

3.15 The Beloit Poetry Journal. Spring 1964.   Handwritten note on the cover reads: “SAVE the ‘cut’ version of ‘Talking through Chaucer’s Hat.” “Talking through Chaucer’s Hat,” a poem by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on page 23 with a handwritten note: “Compare this ‘cut’ version with Biloxi version. This may be stronger – if less personal to me. – JES.”

3.16 Cape Rock Quarterly. Spring 1964.   Cover mistakenly notes that “V. Edgar Simmons” contributed to the issue. “Estuary,” “Winter Estuary,” “The Child’s Winged Horse,” and “Note to Walt Whitman,” poems by J. Edgar Simmons, appear on pages 47-50.

3.17 Caravan. Nov.-Dec. 1962.   “Love by a Winter’s Sea,” a poem by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on page 5.

3.18 The CEA Critic. March 1981.   This issue contains poetry by both J. Edgar and Jes Simmons. “Five Poems,” (This includes “Poison,” “Notebook Hieroglyphics,” “Biloxi Beach: 5 A.M.,” “October Sunday,” and Species”) by Jes Simmons, appears on page 26. “The Poet,” by Edgar Simmons, appears on page 28. (2 copies)

3.19 Chicago Review. Spring 1963.   “The Poet as Crow,” a poem by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on page 67.

3.20 Class Mate. December 1962.   “A Son for the Carpenter” a short story by J. Edgar Simmons, Jr., appears on page 27.

3.21 A Climate for Genius. 1976.   Transcripts of A Climate for Genius television series. The work of Edgar Simmons is discussed in Chapter VI “The New Order” on pages 81-89.

3.22 College English. February 1988.   “Looking at Baby through Magnifying Glass,” a poem by Jes Simmons, appears on page 159.

3.23 The Colorado Quarterly. Summer 1963.   “Elegy: my clowning father,” a poem by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on page 95.

3.24 Commonweal. January 8, 1965.   “Light Everlasting,” a poem by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on page 480.

3.25 The Cornfed Angel. January 2001.   “Negligent Treasures,” a poem by Jessica Simmons, appears on page 11.

3.25 The Cornfed Angel. March 2001.   “Comes a Shaman,” a poem by Jessica Simmons, appears on page 26.

3.25 The Cornfed Angel. May/June 2001.   “El Paso Breakdown (for my father, and all fragile poets),” a poem by Jessica Simmons, appears on pages 19-22.

3.26 The De Paul Literary Magazine. Spring 1963.   “Address to a Cannon,” a poem by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on page 24.

3.27 Delta Review, holiday issue. 1964.   “To Think a Seashell” and “As the Dark Muscle Grew,” poems by J. Edgar Simmons, appear on page 31.

3.28 Descant. Winter 1963.   “The Child’s Winged Horse,” a poem by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on page 32.

3.28 Descant. Winter 1965.   A handwritten note on the cover says, “Jes from Daddy.” “The Salvage of Time (metaphor X)” and “The Art of Brother Keeping,” poems by Joseph Edgar Simmons, appear on pages 26-27.

3.28 Descant. Summer 1966.   “Song of the Moth,” a poem by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on page 30.

3.28 Descant. Winter 1967.   “The Child at the Riverbed (an anatomy of metaphor),” a 3-part poem by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on pages 22-25.

3.29 The Explicator. Fall 1983.   “Taylor’s UPON WEDLOCK, AND DEATH OF CHILDREN,” a short essay by Jes Simmons, appears on pages 17-18.

3.29 The Explicator. Summer 1993.   “Atwood’s YOU FIT INTO ME,” a short essay by Jes Simmons, appears on pages 259-260.

3.30 The Georgia Review. Winter 1965.   “Halloween Story,” a poem by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on page 445.

3.31 Goodbye, Dove. June 1967.   Simmons served as faculty sponsor of the publication. The front cover includes a brief introduction by Simmons, and “A Bird Is a Throat of Stars,” a poem by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on page 3.

3.31 Goodbye, Dove. Autumn 1967.   Simmons served as faculty sponsor of the publication. “Search for the Father,” a 2-part poem by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on pages 6-7.

3.32 Goodbye, Dove. Spring 1968.   Simmons served as faculty sponsor of the publication. “A Note to Walt Whitman,” a poem by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on page 30. A handwritten note in the table of contents reads: “with love to mother from Edgar Jr. & Kay.”

3.32 Goodbye, Dove. Summer 1968.   “Edgar Simmons” listed as faculty advisor. “Wife of the Fisher King” and “Reminiscences at the Roller Derby,” poems by Edgar Simmons, appear on pages 50-51. A program for “The First Annual Night of the Dove, an evening devoted to the Arts” is included inside the front cover (scheduled for July 10, 1969).

3.33 Goodbye, Dove. Fall 1968.   Simmons served as faculty sponsor of the publication. “O. Applewhite’s Traveling Flesh Show,” a poem by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on pages 26-27. Issue contains many handwritten notes.

3.33 Goodbye, Dove. Summer 1969.   Simmons served as faculty sponsor of the publication.

3.33 Goodbye, Dove. Summer 1970.   Simmons served as faculty sponsor of the publication.

3.34 The Green World. Spring 1963.   “Engines of Survival,” a poem by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on page 22.

3.35 Harper’s Magazine. April 1968.   “City Lovers,” a poem by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on page 55.

3.36 The Harvard Advocate. May 1967.   “Varsity Rag,” a poem by Edgar Lee [sic] Simmons, appears on page 38.

3.37 The Irish Digest. August 1954.   “Look Up My Brother in Donegal,” a non-fiction prose piece by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on pages 39-40.

3.38 Janus. 1967.   “Resurrection,” a poem by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on page 26.

3.39 Kansas Magazine. 1965.   “York River Island,” a poem by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on page 45.

3.40 Latitudes. Spring 1968.   “Her Infinite Variety” and “The Backsliders,” poems by J. Edgar Simmons, appear on page 43.

4.1 The Magnolia State Quarterly Review. Autumn 1999.   “Lagniappe of Anonymous Wind Chimes,” “When I Hold Your Urn (for Teresa),” and “Child of Divorce,” poems by Jessica Simmons, appear on pages 41-42.

4.2 The Massachusetts Review. Autumn 1965.   “The Godhead Search,” “The Magnetic Field,” “Estuary,” and “A Note to Walt Whitman,” poems by J. Edgar Simmons, appear on pages 840-842.

4.3 The Massachusetts Review. Spring 1967.   “World of Child Drummers” and “Journeyman,” poems by J. Edgar Simmons, appear on pages 369-370.

4.4 Mississippi History. January 1961.   A book review by Edgar Simmons, Jr. appears on pages 64-66. The review is of Elizabeth Dunbar Murray’s My Mother Used to Say. A handwritten note on the front cover says: “1st Copy. For my Mother with love and gratitude, Edgar Jr. 2/18/61, Dove Cottage, Palestine Road, Natchez, Mississippi.”

4.5 Mississippi Poetry Journal. Indian Summer 1964.   Edgar Simmons is listed as a member of the editorial board. A poem entitled “the vigorous hospital visitors,” by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on page 12.

4.5 Mississippi Poetry Journal. Summer 1965.   A handwritten note on the front cover says, “for Jes & Eddy from Daddy. See inside the “response” 8/2/65.” Edgar Simmons is listed as a member of the editorial board. “Response to Dr. McLendon on the occasion of the Mississippi Poetry Society’s 1965 Festival at Hinds Junior College, February 20,” a letter by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on page 7.

4.5 Mississippi Poetry Journal. Autumn 1965.   Edgar Simmons is listed as a member of the editorial board.

4.6 Mississippi Quarterly. Fall 1990.   “The Championing of Mr. Ransom,” an essay by Jes Simmons, appears on pages 507-519.

4.7 Motive. December 1965.   A handwritten note on the front cover says, “to Jes from Daddy 3-26-66.” “Talking through Chaucer’s Hat,” a poem by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on page 56.

4.7 Motive. October 1966.   A handwritten note on the front cover says, “Jes from Daddy Oct 29, ’66 El Paso.” “Letter with No Title,” a poem by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on page 1.

4.8 The Nation. March 23, 1963.   “Resurrection,” a poem by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on page 253.

4.9 The New Republic. June 15, 1963.   “Address to a Cannon,” a poem by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on page 24.

4.9 The New Republic. February 8, 1964.   “I Sought My Love in Caverns of Ice,” a poem by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on page 18.

4.10 Nimrod. Winter 1967.   “Portrait of the Artist as an Old Man,” a poem by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on page 28.

4.10 Nimrod. Spring 1968.   “When God Designed” and “In Jane Austen’s Parlor,” poems by Edgar Simmons appear on pages 15 and 41.

4.11 Perspective. Autumn 1964.   “Madonna in the Woods,” “Revere Beach, Boston,” and “The Magnetic Field (metaphor 3),” poems by J. Edgar Simmons, appear on pages 230-231.

4.12 Piddiddle. 1985.   “Long Drive Home from Mississippi” and “Grilled Cheese Sandwiches,” poems by Jes Simmons, appear in the issue.

4.13 Poet and Critic. Winter 1965.   “Hell on 125th St. Revisited,” a poem by Joseph Edgar Simmons, appears on page 16.

4.13 Poet and Critic. Spring 1965.   “Troubador [sic],” a poem by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on page 32.

4.14 Poet Lore. Summer 1967.   “A Child Flies in a Tire” and “In the Distance,” poems by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on page 133.

4.15 Poetry Northwest. Spring 1965.   “My Rising Professor,” a poem by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on page 29.

4.15 Poetry Northwest. Autumn 1966.   “Reminiscences at the Roller Derby,” a poem by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on page 16.

4.15 Poetry Northwest. Autumn 1967.   “O. Applewhite’s Traveling Flesh Show,” a poem by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on page 21.

4.16 Prairie Schooner. Winter 1965/66.   “Bow Down to Stutterers,” a poem by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on page 327.

4.17 Prairie Schooner. Winter 1968/69.   “The Father Nose,” by Edgar Simmons, appears on page 319.

4.18 Red Clay Reader, vol. 4. Circa 1967.   “Red Alert,” “On Toward This Angel, This Feathered Fiction Girl,” and “The Captive,” poems by J. Edgar Simmons, appear on pages 62-63.

4.19 Sage. Spring 1967.   “Unpublished Reflections by Machiavelli,” a poem by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on page 219.

4.19 Sage. Fall 1967.   “Waking the Mind,” a poem by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on page 301.

4.20 Salome. August 1996.   “The Poet’s Clothes,” “Advantage,” “Menage a Trois,” “A Transsexual Fetches the Boomerang,” “Manor House Courtyard,” and “Gentle Violations,” poems by Jessica Simmons, appear on pages 26-28.

4.21 Silo 10. Fall 1966.   “Facts about Romance,” “Leonardo’s Notebooks,” “The Abstract Artist,” and “Harriet and Shelley,” poems by J. Edgar Simmons, appear on pages 30-33. “Osiris at the Roller Derby,” a poem By J. Edgar Simmons, appears as an insert between pages 64 and 65.

4.22 Southern Poetry Review. Spring 1965.   “The Soldier and the Singer (metaphor 204),” a poem by Joseph Edgar Simmons, appears on page 4.

4.22 Southern Poetry Review. Fall 1967.   “The Christmas Orange,” a poem by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on page 37.

4.23 Southwest Review. Summer 1964.   “The Poet,” a poem by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on page 256.

4.24 Teaching English in the Two-Year College. October 1990.   “Final Exam,” a poem by Jes Simmons, appears on page 182.

4.25 Trace. Spring 1965.   “Let Me Never Leave My Sane House” and “The Wind at the Eve (metaphor 51),” poems by Joseph Edgar Simmons, appear on pages 38-39.

4.26 United Church Herald. June 1968.   “Wife of the Fisher King,” a poem by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on page 21.

4.27 The University Review. December 1966.   “Montage on Calvary,” a poem by J. Edgar Simmons, appears on page 150.

4.28 Western Humanities Review. Winter 1965.   “Early Passion in a Puritan World,” a poem by Joseph Edgar Simmons, appears on page 42.

4.29 The Yale Review. Spring 1966.   “Begin and End with Water Music in Ireland,” a poem by Joseph Edgar Simmons, appears on pages 389-390.

4.30 The Yale Review. Autumn 1967.   “Keats’ Trodden Weed” and “The Sea Harp’s Spray,” poems by J. Edgar Simmons, appear on pages 100-102.

4.31 The Yale Review. Summer 1968.   “Faulkner,” a 2-part poem by Edgar Simmons, appears on pages 586-587.

4.32 Photocopies of poems. Undated.   Photocopies of poems from Simmons; stapled booklet of poems.

4.32 Note about this series of items. Undated.   Handwritten note about the collected journals in this series: “Edgar Simmons publications in journals 1954 to 1976.”

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Series X: Publications by members of the Simmons family 

4.33 James Dickey Newsletter. Fall 1995.   “Reception,” a poem by Jes Simmons, appears on page 23.

4.33 James Dickey Newsletter. Fall 1999.   “‘As It May Be’: An Interview with Christopher Dickey,” introduction and transcription by Jessica Simmons (page 2)

4.34 Laura Simmons – Publications. 2006.   Published work by Laura Simmons, daughter of Jes Simmons and granddaughter of J. Edgar Simmons.

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Series XI: Correspondence 

5.1 Collected letters (1 of 2).   Original letters and photocopies from established authors, editors, and other creative writing professionals.

5.2 Collected letters (2 of 2).   Original letters and photocopies from established authors, editors, and other creative writing professionals.

5.3 Collection of correspondence from literary journal editors. 

5.4 Collection of rejection notices and copies of letters from Simmons to Jim (James) Dickey. 1964-1967. 

5.5 Correspondence. 1950-1959.   Includes an encased letter from John Crowe Ransom.

5.6 Correspondence. 1960-1965.   Includes many letters from John E. Palmer, editor of The Yale Review, offering advice and assistance wherever possible (he even attempted to find a position for Simmons at the university).

5.7 Correspondence. 1966.   Includes an offer letter (with budgeted pay) for a position at Texas Western College. Also includes many letters from Richard B. Fisher, manager of McGraw-Hill Paperbacks.

5.8 Correspondence. 1967.   Includes many acceptance letters for various poems.

5.9 Correspondence. 1968.   Includes a letter making the publication of Driving to Biloxi official (from Charles East, assistant director and editor of Louisiana State University Press), along with many updates on the publication process. Includes an extensive horoscope for Simmons. Also includes an offer letter (with budgeted pay) for a position at The University of Texas at El Paso.

5.10 Correspondence. 1969.   Includes many letters congratulating Simmons on his publication of Driving to Biloxi.

5.11 Correspondence. 1970-1979.   Includes some letters from television program creators, as well as notes from friends.

5.12 Correspondence from New York medical professionals praising Simmons’s poems. 1963-1967; undated. 

5.13 Correspondence. Undated.   Includes copies of page 1 of a letter from Eudora Welty.

5.14 James Dickey Correspondence.   Items were collected in a 3-ring binder. Photographs have been removed from these materials. Contains letters to and from James Dickey, correspondence from the James Dickey Newsletter editors, and other items related to James Dickey, a long-time friend to J. Edgar Simmons. Photographs include: • Airstrip with a James Dickey and guitar (circa May 1967, El Paso) • James Dickey reclining on a couch • James Dickey giving talks (7 items, all contained in one plastic sleeve) • James Dickey’s May 1967 visit to El Paso images (5 items, all contained in one plastic sleeve) • James Dickey’s May 1967 visit to El Paso (3 items, all contained in one plastic sleeve) • James Dickey on drum set belonging to Jes Simmons • Simmons and Donald Hall in the desert (undated) • Simmons giving a lecture (undated) • Simmons by a bookshelf in his study in Natchez, Mississippi (circa 1960) • Barry Hannah, John Crowe Ransom, and Simmons on a couch together at the Southern Literary Festival at Mississippi State College for Women [MSCW] in Columbus, MS in 1964 (encased in plastic) • Simmons and John Crowe Ransom (encased in plastic)

5.15 Jes Simmons – Correspondence and documents (1 of 2).   Includes correspondence regarding Osiris at the Roller Derby and some poetry by Jes Simmons.

5.16 Jes Simmons – Correspondence and documents (2 of 2).   Includes letters from Eudora Welty, Barry Hannah, Jack Butler, Chad Walsh, Larry Brown, and James Dickey.

5.17 Letters from Jack Butler to Jes Simmons. 1983-1992. 

5.18 Letter to Simmons from Donald M. Murray, with returned application materials. 05/23/1972. 

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Series XII: Miscellaneous items 

5.19 Author Directories Featuring Simmons. 

5.20 Columbia University – Master of Arts. 12/22/1948.   Conferred upon Joseph Edgar Simmons Jr.

5.21 “Come Tame to Warm Home”: Mississippi Poet J. Edgar Simmons. Undated.   “A literary biography by Jes Simmons.” Spiral-bound. Includes list of sections.

5.22 “Enclosures” folder contents. 

5.23 James Dickey’s foreword to Osiris at the Roller Derby with letter from Dickey to Paul Christensen. 06/18/1982. 

5.24 List of published works. 

5.25 Memorial Obituary – Laminated bookmark. February 1980.   Laminated copy of the memorial obituary for J. Edgar Simmons.

5.26 Memorial Service for Simmons – correspondence and article. 1987.   Correspondence regarding a memorial service for Simmons at Mississippi College, held by former students. Contains partial newspaper clipping.

5.27 Miscellaneous items.   Event programs, invitation, clipping about John Crowe Ransom.

5.28 Osiris at the Roller Derby book review. May/June 1985.   Review appears in Mississippi Arts & Letters.

5.29 Osiris at the Roller Derby book cover proofs. 

5.30 “The Poetry of Edgar Simmons: Bibliography of Journals.” Undated. 

5.31 Press Release for Driving to Biloxi, with letter from James W. Crane, Promotion Manager, LSU Press. 11/05/1968. 

5.32 “The Theatre” photograph print on cardboard. Undated.   Print of a photograph of a landmark in London, England.

5.33 Resumes and bibliographical information. Undated.   Resumes for J. Edgar Simmons; descriptions of his work; quotes from established writers about his work.

5.34 Vortman Poetry Award. 03/16/1969.   Certificate: “The Texas Institute of Letters presents The 1968 Vortman Poetry Award to Edgar Simmons for the best book of poetry by a Texan in 1968: “Driving to Biloxi” (L. S. U. Press). San Antonio, Texas, March 16, 1969.

5.35 Loose scrapbook pages (photocopies). June-September, 1956.   Photocopies of loose scrapbook pages containing newspaper clippings of the articles Simmons wrote for the Times-Picayune.

5.36 Scrapbook (spiral-bound) (photocopies). 1958-1959.   Photocopies of spiral-bound scrapbook with red and blue colored illustrations on front cover (photocopies are in black and white). Includes newspaper clippings of items Simmons wrote.

5.37 “The Story of Richard and Kathleen Campbell; Part [4]” (partial draft) – typescript, by Richard Campbell. Undated.   Typescript. Non-fiction account of Richard and Kay’s time in London in 1940.

5.38 “These Remain Forever” (short piece) – typescript, by Richard Campbell. Undated.   Stream of consciousness style short non-fiction piece, describing Richard and Kay Campbell’s time in Holland.

5.39 Typescript pages labeled “Escape” and “Up Grade,” by Richard Campbell. Undated.   Typescript. Non-fiction account of Richard’s experiences (with Kay) in the army and performing in Europe.

5.40 Cardboard sign. Undated.   Yellow cardboard sign reading “Interdisciplinary Seminar presents: “Unrest and the New American Composition” by: Prof. Edgar Simmons, Wed., Oct. 16, 10:00 a.m. Union 308.” The back of the sign says “Goodbye Dove” and “7 days for Jes XXXXXXX.”

6 Scrapbook. 1945-1947.   Brown, bound with cord. A handwritten note on the inside cover states that the scrapbook contains Simmons’s published short stories from 1945-1947. An index is provided as well. Several of the final pages of the book are blank.

6 Scrapbook. 1958.   Off-white, bound with cord. Contains newspaper clippings of articles Simmons wrote for the Natchez Times. Clippings are missing on several pages.

6 T-shirt. 1992.   Copiah-Lincoln Community College Literary Hall of Fame t-shirt, white. Lists J. Edgar Simmons, Jr. for the 1983 year.

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Series XIII: Magnetic Tape Reels 

7 “James Dickey original tape [of] music.” May 1967.   Tape recording of James Dickey playing guitar and singing at the home of J. Edgar Simmons in El Paso, Texas. Ampex Mastering Tape, labeled “1.”

7 “Original taping of James Dickey’s poetry reading at UTEP [University of Texas at El Paso], 5/12/67; reverse: 2nd tape pf JD on [guitar].” 05/12/1967.   Ampex Mastering Tape, labeled “2.”

7 “James Dickey UTEP [University of Texas at El Paso].” [1967].   Ampex Mastering Tape, labeled “summer school Dickey – selected music and/or poems.”

7 “3rd tape, James Dickey on guitar prefaced by JES on radio (EP, NBC)." [1967].   Ampex Mastering Tape. Nothing written on cover.

7 Label 1 (on tape): “FAULKNER: Nobel, John Crowe Ransom, etc. skip talk”; label 2: “Faulkner (Nobel), Ransom, Cummings, R. Jeffers, D. Thomas, T. S. Eliot.” Undated.   Scotch Brand Magnetic Tape. Label on box reads “Faulkner: Nobel speech; Ransom (then a skip) to Mr. E. E. Cummings, Robinson Jeffers, Dylan Thomas, T. S. Eliot///other side: Eliot, The Wasteland; John Crowe Ransom, “Capt. Carpenter.”

7 “Dawn at Natchez & an untyped poem plus Jes & Eddy C/mas, Wm & Mary.” Undated.   Burgess Magnetic Recording Tape.

7 “Jes, Eddy (distant microphone), Dad reading Swinburne to radio music, letting the recorder run - - -.” Undated.   Soundcraft Magnetic Tape. Label on box reads “Dylan Thomas, A Child’s Christmas & poems; W. H. Auden and Allen Tate.”

7 “James Dickey’s Poetry Reading: A Transcript, The University of Texas at El Paso.” Circa 1991.   Transcription. Typescript created by Jes Simmons of the 1967 recording.

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